Steering device.



A.` P. ROGKWELL.

STEERING DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED MAY 3, 1906,

@25,2579 Patented June 2l, .1910.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

A. E. ROCKWELL.

STEERING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 3,1906.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

WITNESSES: INVENTOR.

7M? ATTORNE Patented June 21, 1910.

- ing drawings, forming UNITE errar-Es ALBERT F. ROCKWELL, OF BRISTOL, CONNECTICUT, ASSIG'NOR T0 THE NEW DIEIIARTURE1- MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OEBRISTOL CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF CON- NECTICUT.

Speciication of Letters Patent.

` STEERING DEVICE.

To all 'whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT F. ROCKWELL,

.a citizen of the United States, residiii at Bristol, county of Hartford, State of onnecticut, have inventedv a certain new and useful Steering Device, of whichthc following is a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art towhich it appertain's to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanypart of this specification; 5 l i. This invention relates to a fluid actuated steering gear for vehicles.

One of the objects of the invention is to j.

provide means Whereby the steering Wheel or Wheels of a vehicle may be under absolute control of an operator, so that the parts may be actuated by pressure governed by suitable controlling mechanism whereby the necessity forthe hand wheel and its complementary gearing now generallyused on certain i, classes of vehicles (as for example motor vehicles)v may be dispensed with.

Another object of the invention is to provide means whereby the steering wheel or .Wheels may be set inl proper positions for steering the vehicle in a straight course or in an arc and maintained in such positions Without the liability'of having such 'positions destroyed accidentally. In other words, one of th'e purposes of my invention is to provide means whereby I may set the steering wheels in their proper positions and have them held in such positions without the necessity of constant attention on account of backlash, or from other causes due to looseness of parts, etc.

Another object of my invention is to provide means for restoring the steering Wheel or wheels to their normal position as soon as pressure is relieved against the actuating i lmember with which 'the steering wheel or ratented June 21., i910,`

tional view through the steering mechanism,

.tional view through the controller, parts bef ing shown in their normal positions; and Fig. 6 is a similar view through the controller, the parts being shown in position to permit pressure to be exerted against an unelastic {iuid on one side thereof.

In order to convey a proper conception of the method of utilizing my invention, I have illustrated in detaila preferred form applied to a vehicle, which may include the wheels 10, having axle connections, supported by the axle trees 11, which support the rockable elements 12 and 13 having arms 14 and 15 connected to parts of the wheels l0 by the links 16 and 17. In ordertomove the rockable elements 12'and 13 in unison, I provide appropriate actuating mechanism.l

The form illustrated in the drawings comprises the cylinder 18 carried by the running gear, as for example, the tie-bar T, between the axles, and this cylinder is shown as pro'- vided at its respective ends with ports communicating With the pipes 19 and 20, so that said pipeslmay supply fluid to the cylinder 18, or permit it to exhaust therefrom, according to the direction of movement ofthe piston 21, which is movable longitudinally within the said cylinder. Projecting from opposite ends of the piston 21- are stems 22 'and 23 having flexible connections24 and 25 with the arcuate portions 26 and 27 of the depending arms 28 and 29 rigid on the rockable elements 12 and 13. These arms 28 and 29 are connected by a tie-rod 40 and it Will, therefore, follow that if pressure is admittedagainst one end of the piston 21, one of the arms 28 or 29 will be pulled out of its normal position by said piston 21 and its connections, and because the tie-rod 40 connects said arms 28 and 29, both arms must move in unison and each will move a distance equal'to the other. The clip or support'SO carried by the cylinder 18 is provided with slotted projections 31 in which are the longitudinally movable trunnions 32 ofan equalizing device 33. This equalizing device is illustrated as comprising a tube 311 having intermediate its ends an abutment 35 against which the inner ends of the respective springs 36and 37 may abut. The opposite ends of these springs abut against .the ends ofthe longitudinally s iding arms 28 vand v29 by clevises 28a and 291. The' tubes 38 and 39 are provided with guide proj ections 41 and `42 respectively, which are longitudinally movable in the slots 43 and 44 of the tube 34. These guide projections serve the purpose of limiting the expansive' movements of the springs 36 and 37. A good illustration of this is show n in Fig. 3, and

by examination of this ligure, it Will be seen that the springs will be eifective in restoring the arms 28 and 29 to their former positions as soon as pressure is relieved upon the piston 21. By reference to Figs. 2 and 3, it will be observed that the .abutment 35 is held against longitudinal movement by its support comprlsing the clip or support 30 and the projections31, but said member 35 is permitted to have a vertical i play in said slots when the arms 28 and 29 are having movement imparted thereto by the piston 21.

It will be observed, also, that the natural tendency of the springs 36 and 37 will be to maintain the'arms 28 and 29 in their normal positions, as shown in Fig. 2,-and as these arms 28 and 29 are connected to the rockable elements v12 and 13 which support the steering arms 14and 15, itA follows that when pressure is not exerted against the piston 21, the wheels will be held in positions to cause the vehicle to move in a strai ht ath.

I have provided a contro er or governing the movement of the piston A21 in its cylinder and for controlling the pressure applied to said piston, and a form of controller whichlmay' be readily connected to said cylinder is illustrated in Figs. 4, 5 and 6. The mechanism of which this controller consists' is such that I am enabled to take advantage of pressure of an elastic fluid for giving an impulse 'or movement to the piston, and also employ a nonelastic or noncompresslble fluid for maintaining the piston in the position towhich it is moved, so

that it may be temporarily held in such position during the time when the vehicle is scribing an arc. In orderto provide means whereby the piston may receive an actuating impulse upon either face, I'have provide the lcontroller with two compartments or pressure cylinders, one for each face of the piston, and'these compartments or cylinders are in communication With the cylinder 18 through the medium of the pipes or conduits 19 or 20, which are also connected to the ports 45 and 46, respectively, of the pressure cylinders 47 and 48 of the controller.`

A.In order to 4simplify the construction, I preferably provide a single source of supply, such' as'a fluid under compression, which may be stored a reservoiror tank R, which reservoir is provided with an outlet port 49 having a branch 50 at all times in communication with a supply port 51 of the controller, and this portv 51 provided with branches 52 andv53 adapted toadmit the -elastic lluid under pressure either through the chamber 54, through the port 55 into the cylinder 47, or through the chamber v56 through vthe port 57 into the cylinder 48. Pressure is normally prevented from entering either of these chambers, however, by

either the spring pressed valve 58 l'in the chamber 54, or a similar valve .59 in the chamber 56, these valves. 58 vand 59 being maintained seated by the springs'60 and 61. Thev valves 58 'and 59 are provided with stems" 62 and 63, respectively, which project through lthe stuffing boxes -64 and 65 in the ends of the respective chambers 54 and 56. These stems are separate 'from the valves 58 and 59, but bear against them when`v depressed With suflicient force to unseat said valves. Each stem is provided with a longitudinal port, here designated by the numerals 6'6. and67 respectively. These ports are provided with enlargements at their outlet ends to accommodate the valve. seats 68 and 69, one in each stem. .In the outlet ends of the ports 66 and 67 vare longitudinally movable valves 70 and 71, which when seated cut 0E communication betweez the chambers 54 'and 56 and the outside atmosphere,

but which when unseated permit communication to be had between said chambers and said outside atmosphere. These `valves are normally unseated by the springs 72 and 73 respectively, but either'valve 7() or 71 may be seated by actuating the lever 74 to cause i may be actuated together, that is, one closed and the other subsequently opened, and the valves 59 and 71 may be actuated together to permit one to be opened after the other is closed, but one pair of valves will be operated independently of the other pair. It will, therefore, be clear that if the lever 74 is operated so as to seatthe valve 70, and

further operated to cause the arm 75 to be depressed to impart a lonvitudinal movement to the valve stem 62,'` valve 58 Will be unseated and pressure will nonelastic or noncompressible fluid 78 in the cylinder 47.l This iuid 78 will be forced' see Fig. 6), the' be admitted through the port 55- against the through the pipe 19 into the cylinder 18 and against (asillustrated) the left hand end of the piston 21 to impart a longitudinal movement thereto, and thereby rock .both arms 28 and 29 causing the rockable elements 12 and 13 to rock so that motion will be imparted to the arms 14 and 15 to swing the Wheels on a vertical axis, (it being understood that these wheels may be fas-4 that practically the Wheels will be held atl Athe proper angle because the fluid within the cylinder 18 cannot be compressed. In order to make the controller effective, I have provided a nonelastic fluid in both cylinders 47 and 48, it bein understood that the operation just descri ed will result by depressing the valve stem 63, in which event the ressure would be admitted into the 'cylinder 48 and permitted to exhaust from the cylinder 47, because when one of the valves 70 or 71 is depressed, the other must necessarily be unseated, and whenever one of the valves is unseated the elastic pressure in its coperating cylinder is permitted to exhaust. However, I have provided means for preventing the exhausting of the nonelastic fluid from either of the cylinders, and the means illustrated in the drawings consist of the valves 79 and 8O in the cylinders 47 and 48. These valves are provided'with floats `81 and 82, so that if the level of the dnonelastic fluid in either cylinder approaches closely to the ports 55 or 57, the float in the particular cylinder in which the fluid is rising will seat this valve and close its'particular port, so that' the level may rise above either port without passing therethrough.

vAnillustration of this is shown in Fig. 6.

Inzforder to provideV for an eHective operation of the actuating piston 21 without the expenditure of a large volume of elastic fluid undercompression, and to further take! care of the exhausting nonelastic fluid, I have provided what might properly be termed extensible cylinders or chambers, in.

that the effective capacity of the cylinders may be varied to suit varying conditions.

. In other words, the effective capacity of each cylinder may increase or diminish according to whether the nonelastic fluid is exhausting into that particular cylinder or whether it is under compression. In order to provide for the extensibility of the cylinders, I may include in each cylinder a piston, in the present instance these pistons being designated by the numerals 83 and 84, and these pistons may normally be seated upon the seats 85 and 86 in their. respective cylinders. It is desirable to provide means for resisting the upward movement of these pistons,\and a convenient Way of doing this is to admit pressure in rear of the pistons. This can conveniently be done by connecting the cushion chambers 87 and 88 with the reservoir R, which may supply pressure thereto. In the form illustrated in t-he drawings' a branch conduit 89 is in communication with ythe port 49 of the reservoir R, and is con- 88 through the ports 97 and 98 which have their outlets in rear of the pistons, when. said pistons are seated. By reference to Fig(` 5, it will be seen that a predetermined pressure may be automatically maintained in the chambers 87 and 88, because when the pressure in either cylinder falls below the pressure for which the valve 92 has been set, the diaphragm will -permit the valve to be unseated and additional pressure will be admitted into the chambers 87 and 88, or at least into'the chamberrinwhich the piston is seated, and as soon as the predetermined pressure is restored, the valve 92 will again be seated by its diaphragm, and communication between the ports 95 and 96 and the reservoir will be cut ofl". The pressure in either or both of these chambers 87 and 88 Will have a tendency to resist any movement .of either of the pistons, so that when pres,

sure is admitted over the nonelastic fluid in either cylinder 47 or 48, the normal tendency of the fluid to pass through the pipes `19 will permit the fluid to be forced out of one of the cylinders, so as to actuate the piston 21. The movement of the piston 21 in one direction will force the nonelastic fluid from `one end `of the cylinder 18 into the cylinder 47 or 48 (into the one with which it com-- municates) and a continued movement of the piston 21 will be effective in first permitting the elastic fluid to exhaust, and a ico continued rise of t-he fluid in the exhausting cylinder .will close one of the valves lifted With a float, and a further continued movement will permit the piston in the exhausting. chamber to rise and cut olf communication with its pressure supply port and provide room for displacing the nonelastic fluid. As soon as the lever 74 is actuated, so as to permit the pressure to be relieved, the pressure back of the piston which has been raised Will have a tendency to restore the nonelastic fluid to the cylinder 18 and move the piston 21 to its normal position. This may be augmented by the equalizing mechanism illustrated in Figs. 2 and 3.

' upon t cared for by enlargin It is desirable to maintain an equal level of the nonelastic fluid` inboth cylinders 47 and 48 under normal conditions, and if from any cause the levels of the fluid in the cylinders 47 and 48, under normal conditions become unequal, the equality of the levels may be restored by actuating the ported turning plug 99 in the transverse port 100, which communicates with the rear portions ofthe respective cylinders 47 and 48. y W' For ordinaryr purposes,`that is, to swerve slightly from side to side, or in scribing a wide arc the pistons in the cylinders 47 and 48,. will L-not be movedv because pressure from the reservoir may be introduced into one of said linders to exert sulicient pressure e piston 21 and the piston 21 may be held in the roperi position to maintain the desired ang e of deflection of the wheels, simply by causing the lever 74 to assume such a position that the exhaust valves 70 or 71, as the case may be, will remain seated. As soon, however, as lthe seated exhaust valve is released the wheels will'be returned totheir normal positionsto 'cause the' vehicle to travel in a straight path. When it is desired to effect a sharp turn, as for example, in turning a. corner, the quantity of non-compressible fluid which must exhaust from one-end of the cylinder' 18 may be 4 the receiving space in either thecylinder 4 y or 48 by permittinor thel piston or pistons to A have longitudina movement. and thereby minimize the volume of elastic fluid necessary to performV the function for which it is intended.

What I claim is: y

1. A- motorfor steering mechanism, comprising a receptacle having fluid pressure supply and exhaust ports, valves in therespective ports and arranged for coperative movement, means for unseating one valve when the other is seated, and a stem on one of the valves for supporting the other valve.

2. `In a motor for steering mechanism, the combination with 'an extensible cylinder or rece tacle, of means for resisting the exten,- sibillty of the cylinder, said means comprising provision for permitting the extensibility of the cylinder, a steering element, a casing about the same and means for effecting'communication between the casing and the cylinder. n 4

3. In a steering mechanism, a motor comp rising an extensible cylinder having an. outlet port and an inlet port, meansfor-nor- I' mally preventing the extensibilityof the cylinder, said means comprising provision for automatically permitting the extensibility of the cylinder under a predetermined pressure.

4. In amotor for'steering mechanism, the combination with a pair of cylinders arranged side by side and in communication with each other, of longitudinally movable floating pistons therein, inlet ports for said cylinders to admit pressure thereinto in front of said piston, and means in rear of the piston for permitting a resisting force to be exerted a inst each of said pistons.

5. A motor or steering mechanism, comrisin a receptacle having a non-elastic uid t erein, means-for permitting the extensibility of the capacity of said receptacle,

andan elastic fluid sup ly vport communieatin vwith said receptac e.

6. n a motor, the combination with al pair of cylinders havin longitudinally movable pistons therein, in et ports for said ereof, of a float valve controlling said cylinders-in front of the piston to. admit 80r port, and a movable steering 'element havin a casing in communication with said cylin er, the movement of vsaid steering element being elected by varying the level of the li uid 1n said cylinder. A

8. ymotor forksteering mechanisms, comprising a. cylinder, al valve vcasing in communication withv said cylinder, a s ring pressed reciprocatory valve stem in sai casing', an inlet Valve on said valve stem, an exhaust opening in said stem, and a spring actuated valve in said exhaust-opening.

9. A motor for steering mechanisms comprising communicating lcylinders having longitudinally operating pistons therein, means vfor admitting pressure in rear of said pistons, and pressureadmitting valves in communication with said cylinders in front of said pistons. f

In testimony whereof, I hereunto aliix my signature, in the presence of two witnesses. ALBERTI?. ROCKWELL.

Witnesses:

JOSEPH D. BROWN, CLARA H. VooRHEEs. 

